The Sparkling Pomegranate: A Simply Stunning Sipper

Holiday festivities are neither the time nor place for a drink that requires an extensive ingredient list or excessive time spent mixing each drink. Instead, turn to a classic category, champagne cocktails, when looking for a drink whose wow factor far exceeds the effort expended, so you can get on with the celebration at hand.

Crisp sparkling wine is elegant and festive enough on its own; a splash of mouth-puckering pomegranate liqueur and a fragrant lemon twist simply elevate it to the next level. It’s sure to start your night off right, whether you choose to make these cocktails to order or decide to place the requisite ingredients next to the simple recipe for a self-service cocktail bar.

Toast to the season with a tipple that’s as simple to construct as it is to enjoy.

Ingredients:

2 ounces pomegranate liqueur, such as Pama

Brut Champagne or dry sparkling wine, chilled

2 strips of lemon peel, for garnish

Directions

1. Add 1 ounce pomegranate liqueur to each champagne flute; top off with sparkling wine, and stir gently until the liqueur is evenly distributed.

2. Twist the lemon peels over each flute so as to spritz the glasses with lemon oil, and add the twists as garnish.